


Paradise Called Home

by Capriana_Perez



Category: Dark Matter (TV)
Genre: Hurt! One, M/M, One is a sap, Protective! Three, Three pretends he doesnt care but he does, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-05-25 01:36:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6175054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capriana_Perez/pseuds/Capriana_Perez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When yet another job goes wrong, One is hurt badly and thinks that he is going to die. His mercenary in shining amour comes to his rescue but not so much as either of them hoped. They both end up getting captured by the enemy and locked away. Their assailant will do whatever it takes to get the information he wants and Three will do whatever it takes to keep One safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Raza is a Family

**Author's Note:**

> Summary: One is hurt and bleeding out while he thinks about many different things concerning the Raza.

Being part of the Raza always came with risks. They all knew that, yet when something actually happened, they immediately looked for someone to blame. Usually, those someones ended up being One and Three, with each other. 

 

When most of their jobs turned out with an unexpected, or not so unexpected when they happened so often, twist, these two criminals were usually at each other’s throats and yelling at each other during it. Like now, for example. 

 

When the mission was to extract some weapons from a local baddie on a worn-down old planet that was more rusted metal than anything and ended with them being surprise attacked and now being shot at by the goons who worked for Mr Baddie, Three was trying to figuring out how this ended up being One’s fault. As for One, he was really just focusing on not getting shot while trying to ignore the onslaught of stupidity that was coming through his coms. They had somehow gotten separated during all the gunshots and yelling. Everyone was in different sections of the building that they were supposed to extract the weapons from. 

 

One was currently hiding behind some wooden boxes that seemed to have some kind of food packs in it if the dreadful stench was anything to go by. Rationally thinking, the spot was not the best. The boxes could easily be shot through and then he would get shot and then he would die. One forced himself to push those thoughts to the back of his mind. He fired three more shots to his attackers direction. They didn’t seem to be smart enough to figure that small little fact out anyway.

 

“I’m telling you guys, if One hadn’t had made us wait to pick up the guns with his good guy act then we wouldn’t be in this situation.” And there it was again. That annoyingly familiar voice that grated on his nerves. He wanted to tell it to shut up. He wanted to tell Three himself to just take all of that annoying sass and shove it up his-

 

“Three, it’s called an ambush for a reason. They would have attacked us either way.” That was Two’s voice. Slightly reassuring for One since she was sticking up for him but things were kind of awkward between them. Long story short: she completely rejected him and he was more than a little upset about it.

 

“Arguing will get us nowhere. We need to figure out how to get back to the marauder and out of this scrap pile of a planet.” One had finally decided to pitch in. This whole situation was just starting to get annoying and he wanted to be back on the Raza in his bunk, maybe just relax with a nice book. Maybe he could ask Four for that Charlotte’s Web book that Three had read. It was, after all, a classic. 

 

One jumped when a shot landed near his head, a sound that was surely heard through the coms, shattering some of the box that he was hiding behind. As wooden pieces flew in all directions, he ducked so more of his body was covered. His ears rang. For a moment, he was worried that he might have gone deaf; he discarded that idea when he heard the distant sounds of more gunfire.

 

He could feel his heart hammering in his chest and had to take a few deep breaths to get himself under control again. He never liked being shot at. This isn’t him. He’s the CEO at CoreLactic Industries. His wife was killed by Marcus Boone. He is Derrick Moss pretending to be Jace Corso. He’s not a criminal. He’s just a man who’s about to be killed. 

 

“One, status.” There was yelling in his ear. It sounded far away and different. Like whoever it was talking to him was trying to do so at the end of a cave, with their voice bouncing off the walls in an echo. 

 

He didn’t know what to do. His fight or flight instincts were kicking in and right now he was favoring with the latter. He wanted to run away. Not so much to the ship. Just far away; away from all of the danger and bullets and just regular bullshit that happened to be his life now. 

 

“One, status!” The voice was angry now. Demanding and fierce. It must have been Two. “Are you hurt? Answer me, dammit.” And One did want to answer, he did. But he didn’t know how. He was fine physically but not mentally. He was, there was no other word for it, scared. He didn’t want to die, not yet.

 

Then, because apparently the entire universe hates him, his attackers must have gained some kind of intelligence because they seemed to have figured out that the boxes weren’t that sturdy and could easily be broken. Four more shots fired through the box, three of them narrowly missing his body. The fourth one hit his side and caused him to fall to the ground. He gasped for breath and struggled to get up. He wanted to just lie down and sleep but he knew that sleep meant death and if he were to stay then his attackers would find him and kill him. If he could maybe just crawl to the door then he could-

 

He could what? Die out there instead of in here? He would most surely bleed out no matter what he did or where he was. There was still screaming in his ear but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. There was a brief thought that if he could just tell them his location over the coms then they could save him and heal his wound. Then he would be walking around, arguing with Three and going back to his usual self in no time flat. 

 

When One heard the sound of two people approaching him, those thoughts flew out the window. Even if he could manage to form words and call for help, there’s no way they would get here fast enough to stop the bullet that was surely going to go through his head. This is where he’s going to die and he’s horrified by it. 

 

Two figures came into his view; not so much them but their feet covered by combat boots. He closed his eyes from the sight. He’s upset that those were going to be the last thing that he saw but figured it could be better than other things. He tried to imagine some place better than where he was now. Some place like paradise. He found that he couldn’t bring himself to think of any other place than the Raza. The place that he now considered home. Despite being scared out of his mind, he felt a smile creep to his lips. He found that he loved the place and now considered the crew family. Even that piece of crap Three. He was saddened when he realized that he wouldn’t see them again. 

 

He heard the sound a gun cocking.

 

One wondered if they would mourn him. If they would cry and mope around. Five probably would. That girl was way too attached to all of them. He felt that Six would be saddened. There might even be tears. Four would be as stoic as always. Do his job like a good little soldier. Two might be sad, but she might also be happy that she didn’t have him following her around all the time like a lap dog. And Three. 

 

There was a cold metal pressed against his temple. 

 

He wondered what Three would do when he was gone. One argued with himself that the bastard would be glad. He wouldn't have anyone to constantly question his motives and try to vote with the exact opposite of everything that he said. Yet, One couldn’t seem to really believe that. Three was cocky and a weapon maniac but he cared. He tried to hide it but One knew. Three cared about all of them and would miss him when he was gone. 

 

Would Three cry? 

 

Would he seek revenge? 

 

One found that in his last moments, he was truly happy with that thought. 

The echo of a gunshot was the last thing he heard.


	2. One is Three's Cinnamon Roll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three goes to help One and calls him an idiot a lot. Young love.

Three later would deny that he had any sort of concern for One when he heard a gunshot come from his com followed by an eerie silence but he couldn’t deny that he left his spot on the, ironically, third floor and made his way down to the basement where he knew One was situated. He tried not to think about the way that he heard another shot ring through the coms and finally heard One’s voice but not the way he wanted to. He tried not to think about how he heard a cry that was unmistakably One. He tried not to think about the way that his heart had been beating a million miles a second or the uneasy feeling in his gut as he ran down each flight of stairs so quickly it was a wonder he didn’t break a leg. 

 

He should have known something like this would happen. That idiot should have never been alone in the first place. Three should have tried to get to his location when they first got separated. He should have made sure that the idiot would be protected. One didn’t know how to handle himself when he was alone. 

 

Being partnered with One so often meant that Three had figured out how to read some of his habits. Like how One always looked to the left first, which meant that Three would stay on the right. The idiot probably had that side wide open which caused him to get hurt. 

 

Three also noticed how whenever One was aiming he furrowed his eyebrows and scrunched up his nose in concentration, like he was entirely focused on the area in front of him, studying it for the slightest movement . It seemed that he did it subconsciously and didn’t notice that Three noticed him. Rather cute in Three’s own personal opinion. 

 

That was another thing: Three, while he would never admit this aloud, had grown somewhat of a liking for the younger man. Well, maybe liking wasn’t the right word to use there. He liked most of the crew of Raza so he could say that he had a liking for all of them but One was different. One wasn’t like the rest. He was awkward, especially around Two, and cute, with that little puppy dog face of his. He was good and pure, always wanting to go with the option where everyone won and not just them. He was everything that Three wasn’t yet wanted to be. There was no way he was going to let him die now. 

 

Three could hear Two’s voice over the coms but he didn’t really care about what she was saying. All he was focusing on was One. If he remembered correctly, Two was on the fourth floor, and Four was on the first floor. Five was back on the ship with the Android and Six was waiting in the marauder as the getaway vehicle. It was a wonder how One got to the basement but not a wonder that Three had time to ponder at the moment. He just needed to get One and get out. 

 

Three practically jumped down the last couple of steps and saw the door that led into the basement. Where One should- no, where One would be. He pulled out a gun in his thigh holster, one that he liked to call Rebecca, crossed the floor and opened the door in two seconds flat. 

 

The sight was something he would have rather avoided. 

 

There was One, a couple feet in front of Three, face down on the floor with blood pooling around him. There were two men on either side of him, one of which had a gun pressed against One’s head. 

 

Three felt something like anger rise in him. When he saw the two men look in his direction with a startled look, he felt his blood boil even more. Without even fully realizing it, he had raised his gun and fired two shots at the men who dared to harm One like that. They fell backwards pitifully and let out one last cry before Three silenced them by firing another shot through each of their heads. 

 

Three lowered his gun then fell to his knees next to One’s body. His hands hovered over the younger man’s back as if he was unsure where to touch for fear that even the slightest movement might break the boy further. He saw where the blood was coming from. There was an exit wound on his waist. Which was good in the sense that he wouldn’t have a bullet stuck in his side that would later need surgery. Bad in the sense that One was now bleeding profusely. 

 

Three knew that he needed to do something to stop the bleeding. It would make One’s condition a little better. Taking off the jacket that he was currently wearing, thank goodness it wasn’t that leather one he liked so much, and wrapped it tightly around One’s waist. That would slow down the bleeding enough until they got back to the ship. Next was checking on the rest of One’s condition. 

 

“One. Hey, can you hear me? One!” Three needed One to answer. To show that he was still okay. To show that he was still alive. 

 

He only got silence in return. 

 

Hesitantly, Three brought two fingers up to One’s neck and gently pressed down. A pulse. Three let out a breath that he didn’t mean to hold. One was still alive. All Three had to do now was get One back to the Raza and the Android would fix him up in no time. Three carefully brought a hand up to the younger man’s shoulder and turned him over so he was laying on his back. It would be more comfortable for him this way. 

 

“Alright everyone, listen up,” Three had stated through the coms quite harshly but it was enough to make whatever they were still talking about to stop. “I’m with One right now and he’s hurt pretty badly. I could use all the assistance I can get. So Two if you could get that fine ass of yours down here that would be great. Four, I need you to make sure you got cover for us when we get to your floor; and Six, you better have that hunk of junk ready to go by the time we get to you.” There was silence in return but Three just assumed that they were doing what he told them to do. Three liked giving orders. It was fun. They should really let him do it more often. But now back to the problem at hand. 

 

Three knew that he would have to carry One back to the ship, he was way too unconscious to do it himself. The question was, what would be the best way to carry him without causing his injury any serious damage? Over the shoulder would put One’s waist directly in contact with Three’s shoulder which probably wouldn’t help it at all. The fireman carry would twist One’s body in an uncomfortable position. The leg drag was out of the question. Three sighed in frustration. He didn’t have time to be thinking about all of his options at a time like this. He needed to get One to safety. 

 

Deciding to go with bridal style, even if it meant that he wouldn’t be able to shoot his gun freely, he bent down and placed one arm gently underneath his neck and the other underneath his legs. Rising, while making sure not to shift One’s body around too much, he started to walk back the way that he came out of the door. He walked at a pace faster than normal but didn’t want to run for fear that it would be too uncomfortable for the man in his arms. 

 

Three could feel his heart rapidly beating in his chest. One couldn’t die now. Not after everything that’s happened. Not when Three had realized his feelings for the man. No, One was not allowed to die now. Three would make sure of it.

 

Three had made it up two flights of stairs when he heard the younger man stir in his arms. It was nothing more than a gurgle and an unintelligible slur of words but it was enough to make the mercenary stop in his tracks. 

 

“One, can you hear me?” He knew that he would need to make sure One could make out words otherwise it could mean he had a brain injury to go along with his side injury. 

 

“Thr…” It wasn’t a full word but it was clear what he was trying to say. That meant not only could he hear probably but he was also in the right state of mind to figure out what he was saying. 

 

“ What happ...ened?” One’s head was rolling around like a ragdoll as he tried to figure out his surroundings. He seemed to be trying to say something else but Three couldn’t make it out. Even half dead and the idiot can’t shut up. He continued to walk up the stairs but tried to keep One talking and awake. 

 

“Well, you seemed to go and get yourself hurt. So I, being the amazing person that I am, took the liberty of coming and saving your pretty ass. You’re welcome.” Three thought that maybe he should take it easy since the kid was hurt and all but he thought that in these kinds of situations, One would need him to act like his usual douchebag self. He would need to underplay the injury or One would start panicking. 

 

“Why’re you hold...ing me?” His words were mushed together but they were easy enough to figure out. 

 

“I can let you walk if you want, pretty boy, but you were unconscious and this was the quickest way.” a lie but One would never know that. Three would never let One walk in this condition even if he insisted. “Not like I’m enjoying this much either. You’re getting blood all over me; and you’re heavy. Have you been stealing the food packets? Because, while they’re not that good, if you are, we are gonna have a serious pro-”

 

He didn’t get to finish his sentence because a shot just rang out from one of the flights above him. He froze once again. From up above, there was a distinct metal scraping against metal sound. If Three had to guess, the person shot a lock that was on one of the doors and was now in there with them. His grip on One unconsciously got tighter. It must have been Two. Which should have been a relief but Three’s instincts told him not to relax yet. And Three always liked to follow his instinct. 

 

“What… was that?” One asked from Three’s arms. Said mercenary looked down at the younger man. His eyes were glazed over and only slightly open. His gaze was unfocused and tired. He licked his lips in what Three could assume was dehydration. Three didn’t know why the person wouldn’t be Two but that was what the voice in the back of his head was saying. If it was right then he wouldn’t want to risk One’s life any more than it already is. Gently, Three set One down in the most comfortable way he could manage and gave him a smile that was probably a little blurry in his baby brown eyes. This idiot was going to be the death of him. 

 

“You let me worry about it, alright? You just focus on getting the pretty face of yours some rest because right now, you look half dead.” It was meant as a joke but they hurt Three in a way that they shouldn’t have. Maybe because they were true. One was no closer to getting better than Three was at becoming a civilized person. 

 

Three wasn’t sure how he felt about leaving One leaning against this wall while he left to go see who exactly this shooter was but he knew that he had to do it if he wanted to keep him safe. Slowly, he started to creep up the stairs as silently as he could manage. He uncocked his weapon and was ready to shoot anything that didn’t look like Two. 

 

His coms had went to silence after he had last talked to them. Which told Three one of two things: one, everyone was just working really hard to follow his exact orders, which was just hopeful wishing on his part, or two, something was interfering with the coms. That one seemed a bit more likely. 

 

That would mean that Three couldn’t hear what they were saying and they couldn’t hear what he was saying. But how long had they been like that? Has it just been for a short while or has it been longer than when Three had tried to talk to them last? 

 

He remembered hearing only silence after he talked to them but he didn’t think anything of it. They must have at least heard him say that One was hurt before the coms went out; and Two was surely smart enough to come help them when she heard that. 

 

Rounding one flight after another and seeing no one did nothing to soothe the uneasiness that Three felt. He knew that someone was there. Had heard the shot but there was no sign of anyone being there. 

 

Finally, after climbing six more flights he found where the shot must have come from. There was a door wide open that lead to the second floor with a lock that had previously held it shut now on the ground in a broken pile. Three’s suspicion was right. But there was no one around. 

 

Just as he was about to call it a wild goose chase and turn around, a body from above landed on him, successfully knocking the wind out of him. The bastard must have been waiting for him to show up. Three twisted and turned to get the assailant off of him but it proved to be quite difficult. From the body feel, it was a male, and a large one at that. He was probably double the size of Three but with the agility of Four. The man threw punch after punch at the back of Three’s head and Three wanted to fight back but he found his movement limited when a 200-pound man was on his back hitting him continuously.

 

The attacker then grabbed a fistful of hair on the back of his head and slammed Three’s face down into the metal flooring. Three felt his nose pop and started to go into a daze when he felt the mysterious man get off of him, apparently thinking that he had finished Three, and heard the loud banging of his combat boots head down the stairs. Where One was located. Hurt and alone. With no weapons to defend himself with. Not on Three’s watch. 

 

Using whatever strength he had left combined with the rage that seemed to find its way into his belly again, he lifted himself up and carried himself over to the railing. Using that to hold himself upright, he started to make a decent downwards. This bastard may have gotten the element of surprise, some good hits in, and probably gave Three a concussion but that didn’t mean that he was going to get away with hurting One. Three would rip his hands off and use them to rip his own head off if he laid so much as a finger on the younger man. 

 

After a few long minutes, Three had managed to make it back to where he had left One. And lo and behold, there was the giant hunk of meat kneeling in front of One with a large hand on his cheek. From where he was, Three could see that One was glaring daggers at the larger man even though his skin was turning pale. Three would have been happy that the kid still had some fire in him if he was not seething in anger for this asshole to touch his One, his pretty boy like that. 

 

Sparing no second thought on himself, Three flung himself from where he was onto the man’s back, making him go tumbling backwards. The man was clearly stronger and more experienced than Three but Three had a fire in his belly that wouldn’t be quenched until this man was dead.

 

After successfully landing on his back, Three made quick work of pulling at the man’s hair and punching him in the back of the head like he had done so with Three. The man was working his way backwards and before Three knew it they were both tumbling down the steps. Three had felt his head, shoulders, and lower back get hit on each step and they each brought on a new burst of pain throughout his body.

 

They both landed at the base of the stairs. Three had tried to work up the strength to get up before the man but he didn’t seem to have much luck. While Three was still on his hands and knees and he was already on both feet, the man decided to use Three’s head as a soccer ball. There was a resounding ‘click’ of Three’s teeth smacking together that made his stomach churn. 

 

Three fell on his back and could feel blood starting to drip from his nose and cut on his lower lip. The man came into his view with a wicked grin. He had scratches on his face with blood coming from the back of his head. Three was glad that he had done some damage at least. 

 

He didn’t have time to celebrate long because the man then brought up a boot and brought it down on Three’s face hard enough to knock him out instantly. 

 

Three’s last thoughts were of One.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was 3000 words exactly and took up five and a half pages on my docs which is actually a bit longer than I meant it but my hope is to have the rest of the chapters about this length. In case you guys didn't sense a pattern, the chapters are going to switch from One's POV to Three's. I am also really grateful for all of the kudos and comments that people have left. It always makes me want to work faster. 
> 
> Now, about this building setup. Usually in buildings, there's two flights of stairs before it reaches the next floor. However, I didn't know how much lower a basement typically is so for the sake of the story, I said that it was four stories below. If I'm incorrect on any of this information, please let me know. 
> 
> I had meant to have this chapter up a while ago but my laptop was being weird and made it hard to write so that's why it took so long. Hopefully, the next chapter will be posted soon. Well, hope you all enjoyed. Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated.


	3. Flashbacks and Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One reminisces on old memories while Three tries to save his pretty ass.

_One walked through the halls of the Raza, completely alone. A person might think that being on a ship of this size with only six people and an android would make it easy to get some alone time but that person would be wrong. One hadn’t been walking for five minutes before he heard someone behind him._

_“Hey, pretty boy. Where you off to all by yourself? Not to cause trouble I hope. Because then, I’d have to shoot ya.” One knew that voice anywhere. Turning around, he saw the exact person who he thought it’d be. Not that he had any doubts. There was only one person who called him ‘pretty boy’. “On second thought, go wild.” Three added after a second of consideration._

_One didn’t pause to wait for the older man after that and continued walking back in the direction of his bunk. Where he’d at least have some privacy. Before he could get two steps in, a weight settled on his shoulders. Looking to the side, he saw the mercenary with an arm wrapped around his shoulders looking at him with that annoying smirk on his face._

_“Three, how good it is to see you again.” One said in a clearly sarcastic tone. He let out a sigh of annoyance as he looked at Three with an exasperated look. He really wanted to be back in his room, not in the mood for Three’s bullshit._

_One had tried, unsuccessfully, to talk with Two again about their relationship or if they had one. But, as usual, she denied him with a ‘it would be unprofessional’ and a ‘you’d get attached’. She then walked away but not before she gave One a pat on the shoulder as if she was just consoling him about a dead family member. He had stood there for what felt like an hour but was actually two minutes._

_He didn’t know why Two would deny him time after time but then sleep with Three. He couldn’t comprehend why she had to choose this annoying prick over him. One was good looking. He had seen himself in a mirror plenty of times. Had seen the real Jace Corso, even if it was followed by him and Three getting electrocuted, and hot damn was the man attractive. As weird as it was for One to think. But it was true. One felt himself get attracted to, well, himself. What a weird image that made._

_One didn’t really focus on the part where he thought that another man was attractive but instead on the fact that that person just happened to be someone who wanted him dead._

_“Oh, I know that you just missed me so much. You were probably counting the seconds until we saw each other again. Well, I don’t blame you. I am quite the delight.” Three stated snapping One from his thoughts. One had to take a second to remember what they were even talking about before he shrugged off the arm on his shoulder and continued to walk away. That apparently wasn’t going to work with Three._

_The crude mercenary continued to follow the younger man which just proved to make One even more annoyed. He thought that maybe the gun freak was just going to the kitchen as it was in the same direction of his bunk._

_However, when the man passed the door to the kitchen and continued to follow him, all the while staying unusually silent, One let out a sigh of annoyance. Looked like he wasn’t going to get private time after all._

_When he had reached his room, One stopped in his tracks and turned to face Three, unpleasantly surprised to see that the man had closed the distance between them while they were walking and was now standing awfully close to him. One started to take a step back to get some distance between them but the older man just took a step forward. One glared hard at the man but it seemed to do nothing to make Three leave._

_“What are you playing at?” One asked slowly. He tried to take another step back but it did nothing when Three took another step forward._

_“I’m just trying to keep a close eye on ya. What with you being the least trustable one here, there’s no telling what you might do by yourself. I have just taken it upon myself to make sure that you don’t mess with anything.” Three had stated simply._

_“Like going back to my quarters and sleeping? Yeah, I’m going to cause so much trouble like that.” One had stated sarcastically. Continuing to take three more steps backwards only brought Three three steps closer._

_“Who knows. You could just say that you’re sleeping when really you’re gonna mess with the ship’s controls. Then we’ll fall out of the sky and you’d have killed us all.” He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world._

_One rolled his eyes. The man’s imagination was definitely something to behold._

_“As interesting as that sounds, I really am just going to bed. It’s been a long day. You can’t exactly follow me in here. So, if you wouldn’t mind just leaving me alone now, that would be great.” One was about to turn to open the door to his bunk when Three started to crowd his space even more than he already had, making One’s movement very limited. One could feel the body heat from the other man and could smell the distinct aroma of gunpowder and oil. Being so close meant that if One wanted to look at the man then he had to look up as the man was just a few inches taller than him._

_“Why wouldn’t I be able to follow you? It would be just a simple two steps. And you surely wouldn’t be able to stop me. I’m stronger. If I wanted to go into your room, whatever the reason,” Three paused there to run his eyes over One’s body. “I could just let myself in.” He finished. One was starting to get uncomfortable, for more than just one reason, and once again tried to take a couple steps back. He hit the wall and was forced to stop while Three once again came closer._

_“Three,” One was going to say something else but he found that he was having a hard time making words when the mercenary was so close to One that he could feel the others breath. Three let out a chuckle and moved his hand by One, gently brushing against his hip, and opening the door to One’s room. Much like he had done the first time they met. The only difference being now he had put a hand up to One’s chest and pushed him inside his own room. He looked down at One for a second or two before turning around and walking away._

_“Well, I deem that you are indeed fit to be left alone for a few hours. Good night, pretty boy.” He had stated with a wave over his shoulder. One pushed the button to close the door and locked it before Three could change his mind._

_He walked over and laid down with his back on the bed with an arm draped over his eyes. Three had managed to drain the last ounce of energy that he had left. And it wasn’t just because of the fact that One thought the man was actually going to punch him. He was also really exhausted because he had felt himself actually get excited at being so close to the other man. One felt something stir in his stomach that didn’t feel like utter disgust._

_One groaned and turned to lay on his side. He must have been more lonely than he thought if he was starting to think about kissing Three of all people. A good night’s rest and some food when he wakes up should clear his mind._

_One didn’t bother changing his clothes or even getting under the covers and instead fell into a peaceful slumber._

 

****** 

 

When he first woke up, One wondered why his half-dead mind chose to recall such a weird memory. That was four weeks ago and was really something that he was trying to forget. 

The next thing he wondered is why he wasn’t dead yet. Surely this couldn’t be heaven or hell because it was most definitely the building he was in before he passed out. Maybe his spirit was just trapped here for the rest of eternity. But if that was the case then why was he looking up at a moving ceiling with what felt like arms around him?

He tried to say what was happening but his mouth felt entirely numb. He felt the person carrying him come to a stop and heard a voice that sounded awfully familiar. After thinking about it for a second or two, One realized that it was Three who was not only the one talking, but the one that seemed to be carrying him as well. 

One had exchanged some words with the older man but he couldn’t seem to remember much of it. He was almost certain that there was something about Three thinking that he was some kind of hero for coming back for One. Said man was sure that after this was all over Three would probably use that card to make One do whatever he wanted. As if the blackmail wasn’t bad enough. 

Even though his mind was clouded and he seemed to be drifting in and out of sleep, One had heard what sounded like a shot from up above. He questioned it although it only led to Three setting him down and going off by himself. The bastard. One knew that right now he wouldn’t be of much help to Three but that didn’t mean that he had to go and play hero. Wasn’t that supposed to be One’s schtick? 

What did Three expect to do by himself? What would happen if he got outnumbered? What use to One would he be if he just got hurt himself? They were supposed to get out of here together. They weren’t both supposed to get hurt which would only result in having to get one of the others to come rescue them which would just be difficult for all of them. No, Three needed to make sure that he would stay safe if for no other reason than to get One back to the Raza. 

One had been fretting over Three for about six minutes before he finally heard the man coming back down the stairs. He was about to let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the person walking down the steps was most definitely not Three. 

He was tall, broad, and muscular with dirty blonde hair that stuck out beneath an old paperboy hat. He was wearing a tight black shirt that showed off his muscles, grey cargo pants, and black combat boots. 

One immediately thought the worst of Three and felt a cold wave of fear wash over him at the thought. He wanted to move, to get up and demand to know what this mystery man had done with Three but One couldn’t seem to muster up the strength to mutter a simple ‘hey’. 

The man continued to walk closer to One until he was right in front of him. He crouched down to balance on his feet as he looked at One with an interesting sort of glimmer in his eyes. His gaze traveled up and down One’s body, looking at pitiful state that he was in before they locked eyes once more. He let out a low whistle before he started talking. 

“Wow, you look like you’ve seen better days.” His voice was deep but still managed to have a sort of mischievous tone to it. Like he was actually enjoying seeing One in all this pain. “Honestly, I think I’ve seen a dead rat that didn’t look as bad as you do.” And One could imagine what he must have looked like. Pale skin, disheveled hair, and blood on his front from where he had been laying in it, especially near the wound in his side. 

The man then decided to scoot even closer to One, moving so he was partially in between his legs, and decided to put a hand directly over his gunshot wound. One shifted to try and get away but the man had brought up his other hand and placed it on One’s shoulder to keep him in place, which he then moved up to One’s face. The mystery man gave a squeeze to One’s waist which just made a new wave of pain wash over One. He let out a noise like a grunt and once again tried to move away from the feeling. 

“You know, you may look like shit right now but I bet once you’re all cleaned up you would make a mighty fine picture. You got a cute face. Underneath the blood and grime of course but still pretty damned cute.” He was giving a sort of snarl that said ‘I like you, and I’m gonna have you.’ Which just made One feel uncomfortable. “I can see why that other guy would want to protect you so much. Oh well, not like he’s going to be bothering us anyway. I took care of that old man. Now, it’s just you and me, pretty boy.” The man finished finally. One jerked his head to look at him despite the pain that it put him in. He had called One ‘Pretty Boy’. A name that was usually just reserved for Three. Hearing someone else call him that as well just made his stomach churn. And really, wasn’t that a joke in and of itself? 

Suddenly, the man was gone with a ‘crash’ and multiple grunts. It took One a moment before he realized that a body had knocked into the first man. It took One an even longer moment to figure out that the person was Three. He tried to move, he really did, but the amount of blood loss made him quite delirious and made movement very limited. Instead, he could only listen to the sounds of punches being thrown and grunts of pain, which he certainly wished didn't come from Three. 

After a while, One heard steps again. He prayed and hoped for the best but the universe just really seemed to hate him. There, with blood running over his face, was the sadistic stranger. He looked different than he did before. The blood coated half of his otherwise perfect face and he had a crazed look in his eye. He was breathing heavily through his nostrils like a bull about ready to charge. He rubbed a hand over his forehead then looked at the blood and snorted, actually snorted, like this was just some giant joke to him. 

He started to walk back over to One, quicker than he had before, with his hands clenched in fists and arms raised just slightly. He looked extremely intimidating and it took everything One had not to cower. However, he didn't have enough strength left to not cry out when the man grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced One to look up into his face. 

“Please tell me something, hot stuff: What the _fuck_ is wrong with you people?” He gave an extra hard pull on One’s hair which caused One to let out a grunt through clenched teeth. “I mean, really, this is on you guys. You guys are the ones who came here expecting us to just give you our weapons and supplies and just be on your merry way. You guys are the ones who killed dozens of my men, _my friends,_ and don't expect anything to happen to you as well. Let me tell you something: That may have worked on those other planets you guys go to but not here. And now, that douchebag,” he pointed down the steps where One assumed an unconscious Three was, “has seen my face. So instead of just bringing you along with us, like the easy way would have been, we have to bring him along as well. Why. Couldn't. You guys. Just. Leave us. Alone.” He enunciated each word by bringing One’s head back against the wall behind him, not exactly hard but hard enough to make his head pound even more than it was. 

He let go of One’s hair unceremoniously and pulled out what looked like a communicator. 

“Boss, it's Thompson. I have two people from that Raza group here. I'm gonna bring them aboard with us but I can only carry one of them. Mind sending an extra person to help?” He said into the device. At least One now had a name to put to the face. 

There was another voice, but it was staticky and hard to understand. One was really just focused on what was going to happen to him and Three when that ‘extra person’ showed up and took them wherever it was they were talking about. One was also focused on the fact that his own comms were eerily silent. Where was everyone else? Why hadn't they come for them yet? More importantly, out of everyone, why was Three the one to come to One’s rescue. 

He was tired and wanted rest. If he were to sleep, would he wake up again? Would he be as lucky as the first time he woke up? Probably not. His eyes were closing then opening then closing again. He didn't feel like he could stay awake for much longer but he was going to make sure that he would keep his eyes open for as long as possible.

For what felt like the fifth time that day, he heard another pair of feet make their way down the stairs. These ones were lighter than Thompson’s and Three’s meaning that the guy probably had a build more like One’s. Thompson crouched down in front of One and placed his large hand on One’s cheek again, sliding his thumb over One’s lips. 

“Welcome to your new home.” He said with a malicious grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I am a procrastinator. I have had such a bad writers block lately that I just stayed away from writing for a while. Also, this is my last week of school and my finals for all my classes are this week so I'm really trying to cram in studying. But, summer is nigh! And I shall try to get as much writing done as I can then. But for now, this is it. Enjoy.

**Author's Note:**

> I had originally planned for this chapter to be much longer but I saw an interesting way to end the chapter and I went with it. Hopefully, the other chapters will be longer. Not only is this my first One x Three story but my first story in general for AO3. I don't know how regularly I'll be updating this story but hopefully it's quickly. For now, this is it.


End file.
